BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated actress Cathy Tyson will play Lady Bracknell in a new production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest—a co-production between Leicester’s Curve and Birmingham REP.
Tyson received the nominations for her role in the film Mona Lisa. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarded her best supporting actress for the same part.
Nikolai Foster, artistic director of Leicester Curve who will direct The Importance of Being Earnest, said, “with our friends at the REP, we’re excited to be working on Wilde's mighty play and to be sharing one of the greatest comedies in the English language with audiences in Leicester and Birmingham.
“As well as being richly entertaining, the play holds up a dazzling mirror to society and asks important questions of our times. The wealth of acting talent in our country never fails to astonish and we’re delighted that Cathy Tyson is leading an exceptional company.”
The cast features Darren Bennett as Lane and Merriman, Angela Clerkin as Miss Prism, Edward Franklin as Algernon Moncrief, Dominic Gately as Dr Chasuble, Fela Lufadeju as Jack Worthing and Sharan Phull as Cecily Cardew. The role of Gwendolen will be cast later.
The creative team includes composer Dougal Irvine, lighting designer Ben Cracknell, sound engineer Dan Hoole and designer Isla Shaw.
The Importance of Being Earnest opens at Birmingham REP from 9 until 24 September before completing its run at Curve, Leicester from 6 until 29 October.